In Time
by Power with a Pen
Summary: Dipper and Mabel knew Alex was trouble as soon as they saw her and her mysterious friends. They might be the Mystery Twins, but it's going to take more than two to solve these newcomers. But the real question; are they part of the mystery of Gravity Falls? Please read the update at chapter seven.
1. Alexandria the Odd

Author's Note: Congrats! You clicked this, so you have some tiny interest in my story. Good for you! Just keep in mind that this was made out of pure boredom one day, so things such as corny word choice and bad descriptions might be apparent.

Dipper knew things weren't normal in Gravity Falls. It seemed like just last week he had battled gnomes, met ghosts, and fought a Multi-Bear. Still, he'd always find Alex to be one of the weirdest things he'd met. And it wasn't just Alex. It was also her friends that seemed to attract trouble like some girls attract pimples.

It had only been a few days ago when he met her. Or rather, she had barged her way into his life. He had been coming back to the Mystery Shack after Stan asked him to buy some black paint and a paintbrush from the store. Dipper already knew this was only going to lead to some kind of bad gimmick by his great-uncle, but he ignored the obvious and did it anyways.

He was almost up to the door when he noticed them. They seemed like your average girls, except he had never seen them before. None of them could be older than thirteen, but they weren't at the party a little while ago, despite being the target audience for said party.

One of them noticed him and then nudged the girl next to her. Both of them gave him 'what do you want, dweeb?' looks so he walked in just a little bit faster. Mabel was waiting for him with a clearly bored look on her face.

"Oh hey Dipper!" She said, regaining her chipper attitude.

"Mabel, do you know them?" Dipper said, pointing at the six girls who stood only a little bit from the window.

"No, do you?" She responded with a raised eyebrow.

"No, but I don't get a good feeling from them," He said, trying to get a better look at them. He was so focused on them that he nearly had a heart attack when one of them knocked on the door. He opened it to find it was the six girls.

The girl in front smiled sheepishly and said, "Sorry, do we need to knock to see the shop?" She had naturally straight brown hair with bangs that somehow stayed out of the way of her piercing purple, yes purple, eyes. Her headband matched her eyes as if she planned her outfit that way. She didn't seem very strong, frail in fact, and was a little bit shorter than him. She wore a white T-shirt with purple trim and a skirt that matched the trim.

"Uh, no. Come in," Dipper finally said. He realized he had actually been spacing off as he stared at this girl who loved purple. She smiled, though it made him think she thought he was an idiot, and then motioned for the others to come in.

"Nice place ya got here," said one of them. She had a slight Southern accent as if she was trying to suppress it to make a good impression.

"Thanks," Mabel said, a poor attempt to be polite. The twins exchanged looks as the six girls walked around the shack. Both of twins wanted to shout _What are you doing in our house?!, _but both remained most silent.

"I'm going to apologize for any damage my friends and I do to your house beforehand," said one of the girls to Dipper. She had skin the color of hot chocolate and a mature smile. Her dark hair that looked as if it should have been a bob cut but someone had taking scissors on the ends of it. It wasn't ugly, just odd. Her eyes were silver, not light blue, but actually gray. She wore a grey T-shirt with darker grey sleeves and wore camouflage green pants.

"I'm Alex," She said, still smiling, "What's your name?"

"Dipper," He said, raising an eyebrow at Alex.

"And I'm Mabel," said, well you know who.

"Pleased to meet you. My friends and I are only staying here a little while, so we wanted to get the most out of it," She continued. It was strange to hear her say 'pleased to meet you' since it felt like something Pacifica would say when she actually wanted to sound less annoying.

"Alex, come check this out!" A girl called for Alex from across the room.

"I've got to go. It was nice meeting you two," She said with a tiny smile. Then she just turned and went over to her friend.

"'Nice meeting to you?' 'Pleased to meet you?' Either she has no social skills whatsoever, or she's up to something," Dipper whispered to Mabel.

"Dipper, what would she be up to, anyways? It's not suspicious to look around a store," Mabel whispered back.

Dipper frowned and didn't respond after that. Seeing that he wasn't going to do anything, Mabel headed upstairs, presumably to her room. He watched Alex and her friends, but after a few minutes, he started to wonder if he had jumped to conclusions to soon.

The other girls were bored too, so after just a few minutes, they started to leave. He noticed the girl who wore a lot of purple was looking over her shoulder as if she lost something. The girl behind her, the one with the accent, was trying to push her along as if they were trying to get out quickly.

The door slammed behind them with much force. Just to make sure they weren't monsters in disguise, Dipper peered through the window. To his surprise, one of the girls was looking directly at him. The girl sent him a cold glare, then turned and walked away.

Dipper turned around as he tried to think of why that girl was staring at him, and found himself staring at Alex. One of the other girls stood next to her and was eyeing him suspiciously, though it was hard to tell since she was hiding behind Alex.

"Is there a problem, Dipper?" she said innocently.

"Uh no, it's just there was some…dirt! Yeah, there was some dirt on the window!" Dipper responded, his exclamations marks apparent. Alex and her friend exchanged looks as if they thought he might be a bit off.

"Well, then, I guess we'd better catch up with the others, right Tavi?" Alex said, nodding to the other girl.

"Oh yes! I'm sure they are waiting for us, so we shouldn't keep them waiting!" 'Tavi' said sheepishly. They waved goodbye and then hurried out the door. Dipper didn't look out the window but he guessed Alex was looking outside, squinting to see if there was any dirt on the window.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Dipper remembered a quote of some kind, but he couldn't remember it completely, but he knew what it meant. It was a kind of motivator that was telling him to chase after his suspicions. Well, Alex and her ragtag group of friends were certainly suspicious.

But he also knew it was pretty stupid to run straight into a suspicion; It would be like rushing into a battle shouting "LLLEEEEERRROOOYYY JJJEEENNNKKKIIINNNSSS!" He needed a little background information before he started.

Anxious to begin, he ran upstairs, startling Mabel who was previously playing with Waddles on her bed. She opened her mouth to speak but Dipper had already moved on. He was struggling to reach the upper shelf of the bookcase where he kept the only think that might help me.

"Dipper, what are you doing?" Mabel said, sounding more worried then accusatory.

"I need the Book," He responded, reaching around to find the binding of said book.

Mabel raised an eyebrow and said,"I don't think it's there." She was standing on her bed for a better view of the shelf.

This made Dipper shoot her an odd look. "Why wouldn't it be there?"

"Well look!"

Dipper, disbelieving, went over to her bed and stood. He felt his heart drop into his stomach and a wave of fear wash over him because, just as his sister said, the book was missing its place. He feverishly checked his coat before officially freaking out.

His eyes began to make frantic circles around the room. They caught onto the window, and it might have been the paranoia, but he thought he saw something flash by. He rushed over to the window along with Mabel who seemed to see it too. They looked down, and found not one, but six pairs of eyes staring up at them in return.


	2. Friends and Fires

The twins quickly stepped back from the window, hearts pounding. The girls outside must have thought they made their point because when Dipper went to check to see if they were still outside, he could only make out a small dash of purple disappearing into the forest.

Turning to his sister, he said, "We've got to follow them." Mabel looked unsure for a second, then nodded as if she made up her mind. Before they left, Mabel said goodbye to Waddles and explained they might not be back for a couple hours. Why she told this to a pig was anybody's guess.

"Why do you think they're up to?" Mabel asked as they left the shack.

"It could be anything, they have the Book after all," He responded. When Mabel gave him a clear 'what do you mean' look, he explained, "They were the last people to come in, right? And Alex and another girl left later, like they had to do - or steal - something."

Mabel nodded, then said, "But I didn't see anyone even come near the Book. Nobody came in until you did. How could they steal it? Do you think they might be _magic_?"

"For all we know, they could be. We just need to get that book back first and then we can decide how to deal with them," He decided.

They made it to the forest within a few minutes. Dipper tried to decide where Alex and her friends had gone, but Mabel found several footsteps across the dirt. It had rained recently, so it was easy to tell where they were going.

After maybe half an hour, the twins caught up to the girls. The six friends were laughing and smiling as if they were walking through a shopping mall instead of a really creepy forest in an equally creepy town.

Mabel pointed out Alex, who was leading her friends down the path. Despite the smiling and laughter around her, Alex looked panicked with her odd eyes surveying everything that could be seen. But she didn't seem to be carrying anything.

None of her friends seemed to be carrying anything either. Heart pumping, Dipper took one step forward, onto a dry twig, which emitted a sharp snap. Ahead of them, one of the girls stopped and turned around. Mabel quickly tackled Dipper and they landed uncomfortably in a bush.

"What's wrong?" asked one of the girls, who Dipper recognized as the one who liked purple.

"Ah think we're not alone," said the first girl, who had the accent. The twins exchanged nervous glances. She went directly over to the spot Dipper swore they had been not a second before. Her hands swept over the broken twig and she tapped it gently, almost as if she was petting it.

"AJ, for all we know, a bunny ran over it and you just scared it off," said one of the girls, clearly not giving her friend's suspicions a second thought.

"Well, just to be safe," said Alex, sounding even more paranoid than before, "We should be on guard. We got only a few more minutes before we reach the camp, and then we can figure out what we're going to do."

It got four out of the five girls to nod. AJ, the girl with the accent, hesitated, then muttered, "Sure." She stood up and the six began to walk again.

Shifting so that he wasn't under his sister, Dipper whispered, "Grunkle Stan's going to wonder where we are if we don't come back soon."

"Not if we don't _tell _him about it," she whispered back. Then, she blushed as she realized what she just said.

Dipper thought for a quick moment. Grunkle Stan would most likely be busy with being lazy, but they had to make sure they got back before he noticed.

"We've got to follow them," Dipper whispered firmly. Mabel nodded and then said, "Mystery Twin powers, activate!" Dipper's eyebrow arched at that, obviously trying to understand why his sister had just made an allusion. Mabel was already out of the bush and carefully making her way towards the girls.

Dipper followed her, and like Alex had said, they were at the camp in a few minutes. It wasn't so much a camp as it looked more like a middle-school sleepover. The girls were half-way in colorful sleeping bags, and sat on the nearby logs, so their sleeping bags made them look like out of place mermaids. The logs made a vague triangle and in the center of them was a crackling fire.

The six of them were smiling and laughing like they had been a few minutes ago. A few of them were roasting marshmallows. Mabel nudged him and pointed towards a familiar face. Alex, whose legs were concealed by a silver sleeping bag, sat quietly as her friends chatted.

"Hey Alex," said the girl next to her,"Whatcha thinking about?"

Alex frowned, then said calmly,"It's nothing."

The girl next to her giggled for a second, then said,"Alex, you are the worst liar I know. Come on, we're all friends, and more than friends, here." She directed the last little phrase to the girl who liked purple who was sitting next to a boy neither of them had noticed before. The two of them blushed and avoided each other's eyes at that comment.

Alex sighed and then said,"I was just thinking that we don't have to stay here any longer. We could leave tonight if we wanted."

The five girls and the unnamed boy said in near unison,"Why?"

"We have what we need. All we're doing is giving the town a chance to notice somethings not right around here," Alex said firmly.

"Alex, you need to calm down. We're six, seven if you count Archer, immature kids in the middle of a forest with no parental supervision whatsoever. What's the worst that could happen?" said the girl next to her, who seemed to be smirking as she talked like she knew the irony in her words.

"I can think of several things," remarked Alex sourly.

"Oh relax," said AJ with a smile,"Ya need to lighten up and take a breather. Here, Myria, why don't you start one of those campfite songs you always wanna sing?"

Across the campfire, the girl who both twins assumed was Myria smiled and then pulled out a banjo from behind her back, but in hindsight, it could have been pulled from some kind of hammerspace. Before Dipper could find out, the girl began to strum on said instrument and began to sing.

_"Let's gather round the campfire, and sing our campire song! __Our C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G song, and if you don't think that we can sing it faster than you're wrong, but it will help if you just sing along!"_

At this part, everyone but Myria and Alex said,"_Bum, bum, bum!"_

Myria and her friends, including Alex, began in a faster version of what they had just sang. At the end, they all breathed frantically between giggling. After catching her breath, Alex said, "Okay, that was kind of fun."

The girl next to her smirked in a kind of assured way and then passed Alex a marshmallow impaled on a stick. Dipper was just about to tell Mabel to start walking back when Alex, who was still holding the stick in her left hand, reached back behind her and grabbed something that was too far away to see.

Alex handed the stick to her unnamed friend so she could hold the object more firmly. She set it on her lap. In the flickering light of the fire, it wasn't hard to see what it was.

Alex opened the object with delicate hands. Dipper hadn't realized how quiet the others had gotten until Alex began to speak.

"'June eighteenth; It's hard to believe it's been six years since I began researching the strange and wondrous secrets of Gravity Falls, Ore-" She was cut off by a sharp intake of breath. Across the campfire, the girl who Alex had called Tavi looked petrified in her seat; had it not been for her gasp, Dipper doubted he would notice her at all.

"Are you alright back there, Tavi?" asked AJ. Tavi shook her head frantically, and then focused her wide eyes directly at where the twins where, and said in a voice that could barely be heard above the crackling fire,"We're not alone."

The next few events happened within the blink of an eye. The twins felt themselves be thrust forward and landing on their backs. AJ towered over them, in a fierce but odd pose that made her look like she doing a dance but forgot the beat.

The fire shrank and went out, making the only light the moon above them. Alex walked towards the twins, but her grey eyes looked as cold and distant as the moon.

She looked at them for a second and then realization dawned on her.

"Dipper?"


	3. A Deal With the Devil

For a moment, everyone was quiet. Seven pairs of eyes, some that were glaring, others wide with shock, stared at the twins, and in return, two pairs of eyes stared back at them. Finally, someone (Dipper recognized her as the smirking girl who had sat next to Alex earlier) had the guts to say, "Alex, who the heck are they?"

"Well, girls, meet Dipper and Mabel, great niece and nephew, respectively of course, of Stan Pines," Alex said nervously, and then added, "Girl talk!" The six girls, excluding the single boy, formed a semi-circle with their backs turned to the twins.

The boy looked sympathetic towards them and said, "You guys really shouldn't have followed them." He then looked back towards the girls, leaving his statement with a sense of warning that made a chill ran down Mabel's spine, despite the nearby fire.

The girls were having a vocal discussion. It was hard to hear what they were saying, but Dipper distinctively heard "be civil, Hunter," "this was a bad idea," and the third was something Dipper was sure would get him in some serious trouble if he repeated it.

The group broke apart and then Alex said with a sheepish smile, "So, Dipper, Mabel, would you two like a marshmallow?"

It was awkward to say the least. Alex invited Dipper and Mabel onto her log, forcing the other girl from earlier to move. She sat with AJ and "Tavi," but Dipper figured that was just a nickname. AJ and the unnamed girl were sending equally dark glares at the twins.

"So, do you two live here?" asked Alex after what seemed like an eternity of silence.

"Uh, no, we're just here for the summer," Dipper said awkwardly.

"Oh," Alex said in a small voice. Seconds passed, and then the smirking girl from earlier shouted, "Get down to the point, Alex!"

Alex shot her friend an indignant look, but said, "Fine, I will." She turned to the twins again and said, "Dipper, Mabel, meet AJ, Hunter, Myria, Diamanté, Archer, and Octavia."

She motioned towards the girls as she spoke, so she confirmed that AJ was the girl with the accent, Hunter was smirking girl who yelled a lot, Myria was the girl who had pulled a banjo out of nowhere, Diamanté was the girl who liked purple, Archer was the unnamed boy, and Octavia was the shy girl whose nickname was Tavi.

"We're six best friends, and Archer is Hunter's little brother, so he comes too," Alex explained, "My parents are active campers and they think I need some social and outdoorsy experience, so they thought they'd pack up us all up in an old RV and go to a sleepy town called Gravity Falls, in Oregon.

"We're old enough to make our own decisions, so they let us set up camp," Alex finished.

"So, where are they?" Mabel questioned.

Alex suddenly looked panicked. "They're getting berries! Yes, berries for eating!" She said, and her excuse was so paper thin, it could have flown away in the wind.

"You should probably leave, my parents don't want me to be with boys who follow me into dark, quiet forests," Alex said, paranoid.

"Wait-" Diamanté said, "-Alex, you do realize what you have to do, right? If you're going let them go?" Alex gulped and looked even more panicked then usual.

"I didn't agree to that!" She shouted, standing, "I'm not going to do that! Ever!"

"Alex, sugar cube, breath," AJ said calmly.

Alex took a small breath then said, "Dipper, I'm going to take one guess and say you want something from us." Dipper nodded.

Alex suddenly grew distant. She walked a little bit as she thought. She stared directly at Dipper again, her gray eyes staring into his soul.

Then she looked at Hunter, who gave her a sharp glare, but seemed to understand what she meant. She walked back to Alex's sleeping bag and grabbed it. It was a maroon book bound in gold and, on the front cover, was a six-fingered hand numbered three.

Hunter handed Alex the book slowly. Alex looked almost sad as she stared at the cover of the book. Then, she said simply, "You can't have this book."

"Wait-why?" Dipper said suddenly.

"Dipper, this book has secrets. Secrets that in the wrong hands could seriously hurt people-" Alex was trying to explain, when she was cut off by Mabel of all people.

"Maybe you're the wrong hands!" Mabel said. Hunter growled like a cat, but Alex gave her a serious look to cut her off.

"Mabel, please calm down. We have our reasons for our petty crime such as theft," Alex said calmly, "Anyways, we need this book more than you do. This book is one of the most important records of magic, among the ranks of the Enchiridion and the Complete Collection of Starswirl the Bearded's Magical Enchantments and Spells."

"But you can't just steal our book and not expect us to try to get it back," Dipper said firmly.

"Exactly," said Hunter coldly, "That's why we're going to erase your memory of the Book, us, and all mythical experiences."

Alex's eyebrows shot up at this. "We never agreed on that!"

Hunter gave her a skeptical look then said,"Really? I thought that was a mutual understanding. You got that too, right, AJ?" AJ nodded in agreement.

"But we can't just mind-wipe everyone we meet!" Alex protested, then she added quietly, "And I think we have a potential oppurtunity here, if you understand."

Diamanté responded sharply, "Alex, no offense to your judgment, but are you barking mad? Them?"

"I realize it's a stretch, but they're not normal. In our kind of way," Alex said.

"Ahem, Alex, this conversation is charmin' and all," AJ interjected, "But we do have guests who look more lost than Hunter at a shoppin' mall."

Their attention shifted towards the rather confused Pines twins.

"Sorry about that, Dipper, Mabel," said Alex politely, "But we need to talk."

Archer passed around the marshmallow bag as everyone got settled again. Alex sat next to the twins again, but she didn't look like she liked it. She held a small black pen and a pad of paper in her hands nervously.

"When did you find this?" said Alex simply.

"At the start of the summer," Dipper responded. Alex wrote.

"Where?" She said, without looking up.

Dipper paused for a moment. He didn't feel like he should tell them, so instead of the truth, he said, "At the Mystery Shack."

AJ suddenly leaped from her seat and said firmly, "He's lying!" Alex scratched out what she had written and then said coldly, "Dipper, we don't appreciate lies." A chill ran down his spine at her words.

"Where?" Alex repeated.

"In the ground. There was a tree in the forest. It was almost made of metal, and I could open it up. There was a switch in it," Dipper said hastily. Alex looked skeptical but AJ nodded and Alex began to write.

"Who knows you have it?" Alex asked.

"Me," Mabel said. "Anyone else?" Alex added. "No," Mabel said, holding her ground.

Alex wrote.

"What have you used it for?" She said calmly.

"Saving my friends, my family, and this town," Dipper said plainly.

"Dipper, I heard that you had a new exhibit at the Mystery Shack. What was it again? Oh yes, a Gremoblin. Now, where would somebody get the knowledge that even exists?" Alex said sourly.

"Okay, and some commercial reasons," Dipper added.

"That's it," Alex said.

"Really?"

"Yes, unless you want to tell me something."

It was trick question. He had nothing he _wanted_ to tell her.

Alex took his silence as an answer. She sighed and then said,"Take it."

Suddenly, Myria, who had been so quiet before, said, "Why?"

"Besides a little greed, which may I remind you we all are a little guilty of, Dipper is extremely responsible with the intense power in this book. Taking it from him would make us no better than any other villain," Alex concluded.

She set the book gently in Dipper's lap and then smiled. Dipper took the book back gladly and then said, "Thanks. I guess."

"But, what now, Alex?" said Hunter, "We were supposed to, and I quote the princess here, 'investigate the intense paranormal phenomenon that is Gravity Falls, Oregon.' We just lost our biggest clue right there!"

Alex smiled cleverly, her eyes twinkling. "I told you guys to be optimistic when we first came here, right?" She said. The six of them nodded, exchanging baffled looks.

"Dipper, Mabel," Alex said, still smirking like a mad genius, "I know this is sudden, but I have to ask; would you help us?"

"Uh, twin talk?" Mabel declared. She turned to Dipper and said, "So, are we going to?"

"I don't know, should we?" Dipper said.

"It's not like they're good," Mabel pointed out.

"But they gave us the Book back," Dipper said.

"After they stole it," Mabel responded.

"Fair point. And it's not like they're in danger or anything. They're just supposed to be investigating."

"Yeah, but they kind of trust us."

"True. But we're still figuring these things out ourselves."

"Maybe we could use some help."

Dipper considered this, then said, "I guess."

"So, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" His twin responded.

Dipper smiled and then they broke apart. He looked at a smiling Alex, expecting his answer.

"Yes," Dipper said, "On one condition; all of you have to be honest with us. No lying. No excuses. Complete honesty."

Alex bit her lip and exchanged looks with her friends. Most of them were nodding, at least begrudgingly. Alex sighed, then smiled.

"I like a guy who bargains. You've got a deal," She said and stretched out her hand.

They shook.


	4. The Girls Raid A House For Knowledge

Author's Note;

I've noticed I haven't been putting any kind of note on these lately, so here goes the obligatory; Gravity Falls is not my property. It belongs to an awesome guy named Alex Hirsch (and no, my Alex is not named after him in particular, but it's a cool coincidence), and the also amazing Disney. However, Alex, Hunter, Octavia, Diamanté, AJ, Myria, Archer, and the other characters that are not canon characters in Gravity Falls are my property.

See? Now that's out of the way.

Special thanks to my friend, you-know-who, for proofreading this story, and so I don't lose any more readers, back to the action.

Back where important things are happening...

"Okay, the way I see it is that two groups can cover more ground than if the nine of us stayed together," Alex began, "so we'll split up. Obviously, each group will be led by a Pines twin, if that's alright?"

"Uh, sure," Dipper muttered, then added,"But before that, can I ask a question?"

"You just did," Hunter remarked sarcastically, but Alex nodded in response.

"Remember, you all have to answer honestly," Dipper said. Alex and Hunter exchanged rather worried looks but didn't say anything.

"Do you actually have parents, or adults at all, here?" Dipper asked.

Alex sighed, relieved. "Well that's an easy one. Everyone but Octavia and I have biological parents that are our legal guardians. My legal guardian is Princess Caelum, but she's less a mother than a really cool older sister," Alex explained,"The princess trusts we can take care of ourselves, and she hasn't been wrong. Anyways, I was thinking Hunter and AJ should-"

She was cut off by Dipper.

"I have a few more questions," Dipper said, then ihe /iwas cut off by Hunter.

"That's more than one question!" She called him out.

LHunter, that's what the general public calls an expression, as in, not to be taken literally. And Dipper, please try not to interrupt, but continue," Alex said calmly.

"What do you do? What are you doing in Gravity Falls? And I don't mean the investigation; what do you mean for us?" Dipper said bluntly.

Alex froze, eyes wide. She sighed wearily and then began,"Mabel, Dipper, this is a rather long, and utterly boring explanation for a question, but do you still want to hear it?"

Both twins nodded.

Alex sighed for the third time in this chapter, which was so repetitive at this point, it was almost a forced running gag. Then she she breathed in, and began.

"I'm shortening this up since you wouldn't understand. You know the expression, 'two heads are better than one?' Or 'safety in numbers?' Well, that applies to what we're doing. We're trying to find as many people who will believe us and want to help. Basically, heroes," She paused, and then looked at her friends. "We're heroes. But what we're facing is bigger than the seven of us. Even the twelve of us if you include the princesses, Gilda, Zoë, Anika, and Dreamcast. We have to find people who can help us. We have a fairly large group now, about twenty heroes, but you two can help too.

"I know it's a lot to ask, but you wouldn't be strangers. I mean, you already know us a little bit, and we've got a few heroes around twelve, eleven, and ten," Alex said.

"Really? Like who?" Mabel asked.

"Oh tons. There's Ben and Gwen, and Dani and Jimmy, and Zak - Dipper, you and Zak would be the best of friends for sure," Diamante said, "And Mabel, you'd have a blast with Dani."

"But, why would we join, anyways?" Dipper questioned.

"Because heroes aren't like apples," AJ said tensely, "They don't just grow on trees."

"Calm, AJ," Octavia said, "Plus, you two are pretty smart. I mean, you did figure out it was us who stole the Book" - then more quietly, she added - "And between you two and me, Hunter's not exactly the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree."

Hunter apparently overheard that remark and promptly shouted,"I'll rearrange your organs!" But before she could get to that, the six other laughed out loud. Hunter joined in after she realized it was a joke.

"We'll think about it," Mabel said unsure. Alex didn't look happy but went back to her planning. "Hunter, Myria, and I will be on Dipper's team. AJ, Octavia, Dia, and Archer, you'll be with Mabel. Everybody got that?" She decided.

"Hey, why am I always with you?" asked Hunter.

"Because, as the brains of the team, I require someone whose more athletically inclined than I am." Alex said simply. Then, seeing Hunter raising an eyebrow at her odd vocabulary, she added,"I'm a nerd who needs the help of an athlete if worse comes to worse. Anyways, everybody knows their team?"

The others nodded.

"We'll start tomorrow morning, say ten o'clock. Do you two think you can meet us outside the museum?" Alex asked.

"Sure, but why not the Mystery Shack?" Dipper asked.

Alex seemed to consider it shook her head. "We've already been there, and we don't like to stay in the same place for so long. Anyways, AJ, Hunter, do you mind walking the twins back?" Her friends groaned, then nodded.

"What should we tell their grunkle?" AJ said.

"They were helping us fight zombies and lost track of time?" Myria suggested.

"Good enough," Hunter decided.

"Oh, and before you go, stay away from any 'unneeded assistance' if you know what I mean, especially you, Hunter," Alex warned. Hunter stuck her tongue out then said, "I don't need to be told how to walk, Lexi."

Alex frowned and glared at Hunter for a second, who was smirking again. "Just get back quickly," She said.

"Bye-bye Alexis!" Hunter said as she disappeared into the forest. Alex grit her teeth but AJ pushed the twins along before they saw her do anything else.

"So, Alex doesn't like being called Lexi?" Dipper asked.

"Yeah, but she hates everything fun," Hunter said, "And I've got more names. Lex Luthor, Alexis, Andria, Dria, but I can only use that one when Dia's not around, Bookworm, Smartypants, and since Alex can also be short for Alexander, I've got Xander. She just doesn't see how much of I genius I am with these kinds of things."

"Yeah, genius," AJ remarked sarcastically.

"I've got nicknames for all my friends. Like AJ, you're Applejack, or Applesauce. I'd prefer Applejack, you just refuse to admit that you're basically-" Hunter was cut off by AJ saying sourly, "Ah am not like that orange pony that we met that one time. It was a mere coincidence that two tough cowgirls like us have the initials A.J."

"Yeah, coincidence," Hunter said, smirking like a fanfiction writer who had lampshaded her own allusion to My Little Pony.

"Anyways, Dia's Diamond Dozen or Beauty Queen, Octavia's Phantasia, Myria's Wise Girl, Archer's Prince Charming, and Danny is Inviso-Brain. Yeah, he was never the brightest hero," She continued.

"Back to something normal," AJ remarked, "You two wouldn't happen to know anyone else who's supernatural?"

"Well, Gideon's pretty weird," Mabel said, smiling.

"Gideon? That munchkin with Elvis hair?" Hunter asked, "He looks like one of those nine-year-olds that get to the quarter-finals of America's Got Talent because they're cute."

"Hunter, will you stop making pop culture references? Ya're going make the Shout Out page on TvTropes explode if ya don't stop!" AJ complained. Hunter turned red, whether it was from embarrassment or anger, and said slyly, "Doesn't that count as one?"

AJ grit her teeth but continued to lead the way. Hunter and Mabel started to talk about commemorative sweaters or something like that, which left Dipper with AJ.

AJ was a rather tall girl, at least half a head taller than him. Her face was dotted with dozens of freckles across her noise and under her cheeks. She had tan skin and dirty blonde hair with streaks of carmel bundled in a short ponytail. Her eyes were as green as the trees around them. She wore a long green jacket with the sleeves rolled up and she had tied the bottom of the jacket (it must have been a very long jacket) around her waist. She wore jeans that wear so faded, they seemed to be white. Oddly enough, she wasn't wearing shoes.

"Where are your shoes?" He asked.

"Don't wear 'em when I walk," AJ said simply, "I like to feel the earth. I have shoes but I don't need them when I just walking."

"Okay," Dipper said quietly.

The two of them walked in silence for a few minutes. Then AJ said, "Dipper's an odd name. Why are ya named that?"

Dipper froze mentally. AJ wasn't a bad person, and she didn't seem like the kind of person who'd make fun of you for a birth mark. But she had a temper, that was for sure. He thought of lying again, but AJ knew when he was lying earlier.

"It's just a nickname," Dipper said. It was the truth, at least a half-truth. AJ nodded, so she didn't seem to suspect anything.

"What does AJ stand for?" Dipper asked.

"Promise not to tell the girls?" AJ responded. Dipper raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"Annamaria-Jacqueline," AJ said quietly, barely above a whisper.

"Wait - the second part of your name is actually, at least technically, Jack?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yes," AJ said like she was ashamed, "Don't tell Hunter. She won't let me here the end of it when she figures out my name is technically Anna-Jack, just four letters off of Applejack."

"Secret's safe with me," Dipper said, smiling.

AJ smiled back. She actually didn't seem like a half-bad person. She was honest. Dipper felt a little guilty since he didn't tell her the full truth, but before he could say anything else, the Mystery Shack loomed overhead.

"Well, here we are!" Captain Hunter Obvious said.

"We'll see ya around!" AJ said, "Remember: ten o'clock sharp!" With that, Hunter and AJ turn around and left into the forest.

Dipper and Mabel walked in and found Grunkle Stan in the chair, watching television. "Hey, where have you been, knuckleheads?"

"Fighting zombies when we lost track of time!" Mabel said, with a goofy smile.

"As you can see, we're not zombies," Dipper said, great-uncle gave them a questionable look and invited them to watch TV with them. After about an hour, the twins said goodnight, and Stan returned to changing channels. The twins returned their room and Mabel promptly went back to playing with Waddles. Dipper, however, pulled the book from his coat and set it on his bed.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the front door. Listening, Dipper heard Stan opening it downstairs, and someone, clearly out of breath, said, "We're friends of Dipper and Mabel." With that, two set of feet headed up the stairs.

And like that, Alex and Diamanté were in their doorway.

Diamanté said, breathless, "We caught up with Hunter and AJ just a few minutes ago. They mentioned Gideon. I don't want to go into specifics, but we raided his house, but don't worry, he wasn't home."

"But we did find something in his room," Alex said, lifting something out of her backpack, "Look familiar?"

In her hands was a maroon book bound in gold. The cover was decorated with a six-fingered hand, but Alex's own hand was covering the palm.

"Ready for this?" She asked.

The twins nodded.

Alex lifted her hand, revealing the palm of the hand to be signed with a number two.


	5. The TvTropes Has A Heart Attack

"What? Why would Gideon have the second book?" Dipper exclaimed.

"Listen, Dipper," Alex sounded calm despite what was happening,"All I'm saying is that we found this book on Gideon's desk. We took it back to you because you have a right to know what's happening."

"But he's a buttface!" Mabel said.

"I figured that," Alex said,"He had a half-charred picture of you, Mabel, on his mirror. And that just isn't healthy."

"Bad breakup," Mabel said simply.

"Anyways, you need to hold on to this tonight. The girls and I are going to evaluate all the magical books I have until we found something, say a memory or truth spell, so we can interrogate Gideon later." Alex said, as if this was normal.

"You really have a book for that?" Dipper asked.

"I have a book for everything; I've got spellbooks from as far as Equestria, war accounts from Oo, and I've got a transcript of the Nomicon in case I ever come across ninjas," Alex said, smiling.

"Anyways, what I believe Alex is saying is that we still will meet tomorrow, but please, read the second journal, and bring it when we meet again," Diamanté said gently.

"And," Alex added,"whatever you do, do not let anyone, and I cannot stress hard enough how important this is, see this book. Not Gideon, not Soos, not Wendy, not even Stan. Understood?" Her tone was as dark as the night sky. Dipper gulped, then nodded.

"Good," She said flatly, "We'll see each other soon." And with those words so cold they could have frozen lava, Alex left the room, disappearing in the hallway.

Diamanté sighed and said,"I'm sorry about Alex; she's usually not this serious. She's got a lot on her mind, if you can understand."

Dipper wanted to comment, but Mabel nodded and said,"We understand."

"She's really a nice girl when you get to know her," Diamanté added.

"I could tell," Dipper said sarcastically. Honestly, he thought Alex was the type of the girl who'd smile and tell you how much she loved your hat, and then happily break into your house and steal one of your most precious belongings.

Diamanté sighed, and her expression softened. Her deep, odd purple eyes seemed almost sad. But before she said anything, the front door opened and Dia took it as her que to leave.

As she left, the girl who loved purple said grimly,"We are certainly not perfect, Dipper, but Alex at least tries to work with what she has."

And she left.

Outside, two figures walked down the path, and into the forest. They were talking. One of them, who wore darker clothes, seemed to linger before she disappeared into the forest. But the other called her name and she simply walked away.

Dipper didn't sleep that night.

He sat in bed, under the covers, with a flashlight in one hand, and the second book in the other. He tried to process that Gideon had all of this information, and for who knows how all long.

He thought about Alex and her friends. Sure, AJ and Hunter weren't half-bad, but they had no issues with raiding a house. Octavia didn't seem very bad, but he didn't know her very well. Diamanté used to be okay, but she had become as cold as ice in just a few seconds. Myria and Archer, the girl with the instrument from nowhere and the only boy, had never really talked to him.

And that left Alex. She was undecided. She was nice enough to invite complete strangers for marshmallows, and seemed like the leader of the team. But being leader made her responsible for stealing and the way she got serious within moments was scary. It was as if Alex had stuck her face in the books so long, she'd forgotten what was right and wrong.

Eventually, Dipper got sick of his thoughts and went to sleep. When he woke up, he had a heart attack when he saw the clock. Unless he was blind or upside-down, the clock read _9:28._

After a quick breakfast, Dipper was ready to go meet up with possibly the most morally ambiguous six/seventh-graders out there. Mabel met him outside next to the golfcart.

"It's ten minutes to town. We've got half a tank full of gas, two books full of mysterious secrets, it's morning, and I'm wearing a hat," Dipper said as he slid in the front seat.

Mabel replied,"Hit it."

Ten minutes and an epic chase scene later...

"Well that happened," Dipper remarked, removing a woodpecker from under his hat.

Mabel grabbed a pine needle from her hair and said, "There they are!"

Sure enough, seven figures stood outside the front steps to the museum.

"Let's get this over with," Dipper said sourly. He walked over to the girls with Mabel half a step behind him. It wasn't until he was just over two feet away from them when Alex chose to acknowledge them.

"Hello, Mabel, Dipper," Alex said, smiling. But it wasn't hard to tell that she was not too happy about having Dipper as her leader.

"So, we should split up now. We'll back up here at twelve, two hours, and report what we saw," Alex told the group, "Also, Dipper, you might want to give Mabel one of the journals."

Dipper reacted sourly to this suggestion. "Why?"

"Oh, yes, I'm sure you'll need both books when your own sister is being attacked by a hydra and all she's doing is cutting the heads, when one of those books has the answer written in permanent ink!" Alex responded with rage.

"I think what Alex means is that with two books and two Pines, it'd be better to split it," Hunter explained.

"Alex, are you still sure you don't want to switch with one of us?" Octavia asked quietly.

"Yes I am sure!" Alex yelled unexpectedly. "Or perhaps you have a better idea?"

Octavia whimpered like a small dog then went silent. Alex then grabbed Hunter and Myria by their wrists and tugged them to the library. If she hadn't been absolutely enraged earlier, it would have been almost comical to have Alex, who was noticeably small, drag along Hunter and Myria, both of which who were taller than her.

Before he left, Dipper took Mabel aside and said,"Be careful."

Mabel raised an eyebrow and said,"From the guy who battles giant bear monsters if I'm not with him." She giggled and then shooed him away.

Dipper was not looking forward to having the next two hours with Alex. In fact, he'd rather be with Mabel instead of this. At least she was positive. Alex, on the other hand, seemed to have taken a dive into the metaphorical pool of anger.

"We'll search around her and see if we can find any books about the history of Gravity Falls," Alex decided.

"Actually, I already know that," Dipper dared to say. He regretted it.

"Then, please, be my guest and educate my friends and I," Alex challenged, her eyes narrowing. Hunter and Myria exchanged nervous looks like they knew exactly where this was heading.

Dipper didn't know, however. "Gravity Falls was founded by Sir Lord Quentin S. Trembley the Third Esquire, the forgotten president. He named after he fell down into it-"

Alex clapped her hands sarcastically. "Good, good, good. Just great. Now please explain how that applies to two journals found in this dusty old town that are in direct violation of the Magical Secrecy Agreement!"

It might have been his imagination, but Alex's eyes seemed to glow. Hunter held up the universal 'time-out' sign, and pulled Alex behind a bookcase.

That left just Myria. She smiled cheekily, like she was nervous. Myria was a tall girl, shorter than AJ, but a little bit bigger than her friends. Her eyes were sky blue, almost gray. Her hair was the most eye-catching feature though. Her hair was orange, almost red, and made up of what seemed to be hundreds and hundreds of curls, and scrunched up in a ponytail. She wore a plain pink shirt and grey shorts, not unlike his.

"Lovely weather we're having," She said while smiling.

"Alex doesn't like me, does she?" Dipper said flatly.

Myria smiled nervously, then said,"Dipper, Alex has the social skills of a walnut. Okay, a really smart walnut, but still a walnut. She may like you, but Alex doesn't like to feel responsible for anyone besides herself."

"I can take care of myself," Dipper replied confidently.

Myria raised an eyebrow and said,"So can we. But Alex doesn't get that sometimes. She thinks friendship is a contract, and she always looks for a loophole. And besides, it took the six, seven if you include Archer, of us about half a year before she realized she doesn't have to protect us. She stills worries about us though."

That last part made Dipper feel a little better. And then he realized how complicated girls were and decided never to date a girl. Or at least one who was like Alex. Girls like Wendy were much better, and less of a headache to figure out.

Suddenly Alex and Hunter came back from behind the bookcase. Hunter was smirking like she had unleashed an entire army of water ballons on innocent civilivians. Alex looked calmer, but she was glaring daggers at Hunter.

"Myria, can you come with me? We'll check out this side. Dipper, Hunter, you two check the other side," Alex said. She and Myria went off and that left Dipper with Hunter.

Now, Hunter was kind of intimidating. She was tall, shorter than AJ, but taller than Myria. Next, she was pale. She was so pale, some of the papers had more pigment than her. Her hair was a blonde mess, streaked with shades of blonde ranging from nearly white to golden to dirty blonde. She wore a big, baggy sweatshirt that was as blue as the sky and baggy black pants tucked into combat boots that, if he was not mistaken, had metal on the bottom. And, to top her scary levels, her eyes were gold. It would have made sense if she had brown eyes with little flecks of gold, but her eyes were literally gold.

"Let's check over here," Hunter said. She started to walk down between two bookcases and Dipper followed.

"So, Dipstick, do you like to read books?" Hunter said, glancing at the rows of books.

"Don't call me Dipstick," He replied,"but yes."

"How's Dipping Sauce? Or Double Dipper?" Hunter began, and Dippingsau - I mean Dipper - thought this wasn't going everywhere.

"I'll get to that later," Hunter said, sensing he was unhappy,"Here, can you pick a few books from over there?" Dipper nodded and turned to the other bookshelf. When he turned back, keep in mind it could have only been maybe fifteen seconds at most, Hunter's arms were full of books.

"How'd you get those so fast?" He asked.

"Oh, well, I'm a pretty fast runner," Hunter said. Her face was nervous but she smirked like she had just made a clever joke.

Before he could ask how that, Alex came charging down the hall. "Hunter, Dipper," She said, breathless,"I didn't find a book yet, but the others need our help!"

"How do you know?" Dipper asked.

Alex raised and eyebrow and then a rock, which was bedazzled with "HELP" in purple.

"Dia only uses her purple bedazzler for emergancies," Myria explained.

"How did she get the rock in the library?" Dipper questioned.

Alex's eyes drifted towards a broken window whose hole was just big enough for the bedazzled rock. "Doesn't matter," She said simply,"We have got to go."

"Where?" asked Hunter.

"Hunter, this is AJ and Octavia we're talking about. Where do you think they'd be?" Her smaller friend responded.

And thus, their little field trip to the library ended abruptly as the four of them sprinted towards the forest. Hunter was the farthest away when the first boulder nearly crushed her. Luckily, it merely landed on her foot. Nevertheless, she screamed out in pain.

"Hunter!" Alex and Myria shouted together. Hunter pulled her foot free in a remarkable act of strength. Gritting her teeth, Hunter asked,"Hey, Alex, can I get that 'unneeded assistance' now?"

Alex looked worried, and for a second, she forgot she was mad at Dipper. She turned to him and said,"You and I are going to help the others." She turned to her friends and said,"Myria, I need you and Hunter to go back to the camp. There's a first-aid kit in Octavia's bag. There should be some wrap. Use it for your foot, Hunter.

"Follow the sound of the wreckage back to us," Alex said,"Now, we've got to go." She grabbed Dipper by the wrist and pulled him along.

It took only about a minute of sprinting before they found it. It being an unfair, five-against-one, fight against - wait for it - the Multi-Bear.

"Dear Goddess, what is that _thing_?" Alex cried out. Understandable, seeing how it was a giant bear with multiple heads. What was even weirder was the fight against it.

AJ was wielding a giant spear made from a broken tree branch, sharpened at the end. Archer had produced a full-length archer's (and yes, that is intentional) bow and was firing arrows at the Multi-Bear to no avail. Diamanté wasn't fighting, but was trying to keep Mabel behind a tree and out of the fight. Octavia was nowhere to be seen.

"Alex, where's Myria an' Hunter?" AJ called out, feinting the beast with the tip of her sword.

"Doesn't matter! We've got to stop this!" She responded.

"I can stop him!" Dipper replied. Alex gave him an odd look but nodded, then shouted to her friends,"Girls, let Dipper take control!"

Archer lowered his bow, but AJ kept her spear steady. Dipper walked forward until he was directly in front of the Multi-Bear. The multi-headed beast roared. AJ's grip on the spear hardened. Archer loaded another arrow.

And then the giant beast simply said,"Dipper?"

"Yep."

The beast calmed down significantly and said,"Oh wow, I'm embaressed. You know, what with that whole rampage thing."

"Why did you attack them anyways?" asked Dipper.

"I don't actually know," He said, then pointed towards AJ,"That one found me in the forest and I just lost control."

"We understand completely," said AJ,"Just next time, try to steer clear of the whole rampage thing."

The Multi-Bear nodded, smiled, and then walked away.

"You never told me you were a supernatural negotiationer, Dipper," Alex said afterwards.

"A what?" Mabel asked for him, coming out from the tree. Dipper noticed, despite Mabel supposedly not being in the fight, her arm was tied up in a make-shift sling, that if he was not mistaken, made of a purple scarf.

"Someone who negotiates between the supernatural, such as monsters or the magical community in general," Alex said, smiling,"I'm one, though I've probably never met another because I made the term up."

"I guess," Dipper said,"We met that kind weird stuff all the time."

Suddenly Octavia appeared next to him, nearly giving him a heart attack. "It's true," She said,"I went up and saw that convenience store, and the couple there mentioned a twelve-year-old who helped them. That was you, right?"

He nodded, then said,"How did you talk to the ghosts?"

"I see dead people," Octavia said. Then she exploded in a blast of laughter.

"What's so funny?" He asked in rebuttal.

Alex had tears in her eyes from her laughter, then answered,"Inside joke."

Only she and Octavia were laughing.

Finally, Hunter and Myria appeared. "What'd we'd miss?" She asked.

Later, at the campsite...

It was tense around the dead fire. Alex had only found out Dipper was friends with a creature of many heads, and that boulders crushed feet.

"We need to take another route around this," She admitted,"Any ideas?"

"Wd bust down that kid's - Gideon was it? - house then, tie him down, and use a feather to force him to tell us everything he knows," Hunter said.

"This is serious, Hunter," Alex said tensely.

Her friend's expression turned sadistic; glaring eyes, but a wide grin spread across her pale features. "How about electric torture?" She said, her grin growing larger.

"Hunter, we do not electrocute people when we do not like them!" Alex barked. Hunter grimaced, but didn't say anything.

"Building on what Hunter was saying," Myria said,"we pretend we're Gideon's fangirls. Beg his father to let us into his house. We get on the little brat's good side, and then seduce him into giving us the answers."

"It could work, but we'd someone so perfect, any guy would fall for her," Alex said, "Dia?"

"Why do I have to seduce the little twerp?" Diamanté exclaimed,"Need I remind you all, I have a boyfriend." She held Archer's arm a little bit tighter at that.

"That's right! Me!" Archer said, confidently.

"Take it easy, Casanova," Hunter said, amused, "But Dia's the best candidate for this."

"Why? You make it sound like I'm a hopeless romantic," Dia pointed out.

AJ raised an eyebrow. "Hun, you have a life-sized Harry Styles poster in your closet. Now, please say how that doesn't make you sound like a hopeless romantic."

Diamanté blushed fiercely and said,"His hair is fluffy, alright?"

"Wait - you have a giant poster of a guy who can sing _and_ has fluffy hair?" Archer said, clearly jealous.

"He's British too..." Diamanté said quietly.

"Oh, just great! He's got an accent too!" Archer exclaimed.

"Hey, Romeo and Juliet?" Hunter remarked sarcastically. "Remember that whole 'mission' thing? We'd like to get back to it without this being an episode of Desperate Housewives!"

"Why do you guys always sound like the Shout Out page of TvTropes?" Dipper complained.

"Why don't we get back to the plot of this fanfic?" Alex remarked sourly.

"Because, Alex, what fun is there in making sense?" Myria said, giggling.

"Oh no, Myria, I prefer to prepare for trouble," Alex said, joining in.

"And be prepared to make it double!" Hunter finished.

"Huzzah!" Octavia said,"The trouble has been doubled!"

"Dear Princess Caelum," Alex said,"Today I learned my friends are COMPLETELY BARKING MAD! But then again, Princess, we're all mad here."

"Maybe its because we all drank cactus juice?" Archer suggested.

"It _is_ the quenchiest," AJ added.

Soon it became a whirlwind of puns and references that are not written in this book so that you may come to believe that For Equestria lost her mind while writing this chapter. But, it eventually led to this;

"And that was how Equestria was made," said Myria.

"But where did the Triforce come from?" asked Mabel.

Alex said, "Remember? Kirby took it with him after Zelda-"

"It's Link! Zelda is the princess!" Hunter yelled.

"Right," Alex continued,"after _Link_ fought Samurai Jack, Goku, Inuyusha, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Kirby gave him a ride to the Millennium Falcon."

"Wasn't Harry Potter there too?" AJ asked.

"No, he was busy fighting Percy Jackson while Annabeth, Hermione, Twilight Sparkle, Jazz Fenton, and Raven read both of their series," Hunter said.

"So what happened to Buzz Lightyear?" Dipper asked.

"He went with Zim, Stitch, Starfire, all of the aliens in the Omnitrix, and R2-D2 to save Earth from Vexus," Hunter answered.

"Hey, weren't we doing something relative to the plot?" Archer asked.

Everyone had an 'did we really just say that' moment and put the plan together.

•••

Buddy Gleeful opened his door to a small girl who couldn't had been more than twelve, but decorated in Lil' Gideon merchandise that range from a t-shirt several sizes too big, to a Lil' Gideon plush in her purse.

"Hi, can I see Gideon?" said Diamante.


	6. Shadows in the Night

Author's Note;

I apologize for how random that last chapter was, so this one will be a little more serious. But still pretty random.

Back where stuff happens...

"I don't like this," Archer complained, sitting in the bushes,"She's my girlfriend and that munchkin sweeping her off her feet is just insulting to someone like Dia."

The eight of them were all scrunched up in the bushes and shrubbery across the street. Dipper had the sense to convince them to use a microphone, so now Alex, codename Lex Luthor, Dia, codename Diamond Dozen, and Dipper, Sir Dippingsauce, were equipped with microphones. Hunter had chosen the codenames. Diamanté even had a video camera that was connected to a tiny TV screen Alex had in her lap, attached to a pair fake glasses.

"Archer, Dia does not like Gideon," Alex pointed out. "Dia isn't a sell-out like that."

"But Gideon does have as much jewelry as her," Hunter said. Alex punched her in the gut for that.

"Besides, Dia knows what she's doing," Alex continued.

"But Gideon's a buttface!" Archer said.

"Quiet," Dipper said, staring into a pair of binoculars he had borrowed from Myria. "Gideon's coming down."

Sure enough, a small, round figure appeared in the doorway.

"Oh hello," Gideon Gleeful said. You had to give the kid one thing; he could act. He almost seemed innocent, despite the fact he might have some sanity issues. "Are you a fan?"

"Oh. My. Gosh! You are just the cutest thing ever!" Diamanté said, emitting a tiny 'squee' song at the end. "I'm your biggest fan!"

"Oh that's great," Buddy Gleeful said,"Gideon, why don't I get you a picture and you can give this nice girl an autograph?"

Before Gideon could answer, Diamanté shook her head. "Why not just take a picture right now?" And without waiting for an answer, Diamanté smiled widely, and took a picture on the disposable camera around her neck.

Gideon rubbed his eyes after the flash and then said, dazed,"Hun, you need to get that developed before I can sign them." Diamanté looked almost sad for a moment.

"But, you'll be back when I come, right?" She asked, her eyes growing large.

"Of course," Gideon said reluctantly.

Diamanté considered this and then shook her head. "Nah! I wanna an autograph now!" She then looked towards Buddy Gleeful like that was her final answer.

"Well, go on, Father," Gideon urged.

"Oh, yes," He said and then disappeared beyond the doorway.

For a few monents, there was complete silence. Diamanté stared directly at Gideon, Gideon looked away, and the eight others stared in anticipation.

"Hurry up with that picture, Dad!" Gideon called into his house.

That gave Diamanté an idea. "I'll help him!" She declared, and without further ado, she marched into the Gleeful's house. Gideon's eyes went wide with panic and he rushed inside.

"Guys, the camera!" Alex said. The eight of them formed a huddle around the screen, and watched.

Diamanté evidently remembered the house from breaking into it, as she made no hesitation to run upstairs and find Gideon's room.

"Oh, is this your room?" She said, smiling like an idiot.

"Yes, it is," Gideon said, almost losing his temper.

"Oh," Diamanté inched towards his desk. "I guess we could hang out here, until your daddy finds us."

Gideon turned red but it could have been from either rage or embarrassment. "Hun, why don't you follow me until you get out my house?"

Diamanté giggled and said,"Why would I do that, silly? That would mean leaving you!"

"That's the point, dear."

"Oh." Diamanté said quietly. She bowed her head and said,"I didn't know I annoyed you. I just wanted to learn about magic."

Gideon's eyes lit up at this. "Magic?"

"Well, yes. I saw your show and I was astounded. So much better than that little dump of a tourist trap that they dare call the Mystery Hack."

"Really?"

"Oh yes, really," Diamanté nodded her head. "I even saw some stitches on one of the exhibits. It was actually sad."

Gideon smiled, and then motioned for her to continue.

"But you don't want to her about that, I guess." Diamanté said. She adjusted her fake pair of glasses, hoisted her purse on her shoulder, and turned to leave the room.

"Wait-" Gideon said suddenly,"Did you hate the Mystery Shack?"

"Oh yes," Diamanté said, quietly,"And one of the workers there was an utter jerk. Oh, what was his name? David? Dixon? It was definitely a d-i."

"Dipper?"

"Yes! He was such a snob."

Across the street, Dipper became cross. Alex nudged him and said,"She's just acting."

"Maybe she's doing her job a little too well." Dipper replied coldly.

On the screen, Gideon was smiling menacingly. "So you really don't like the Pines family?"

Diamanté bit her lip, as if she was trying to think how to answer the question. "They were jerks, but it's not as if I'd, say, let any harm behall them intentionally."

Gideon raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Diamanté looked nervous, and avoided Gideon's eyes. "They're not that bad. I mean, the girl - Mandy was it? - was nice. And besides, I meant have been exaggerating with Dipper's jerkiness."

Gideon frowned and said,"Well, you should go then."

"No!" Diamanté shouted suddenly. "I mean - one more picture. Please. Then I'll leave. Promise."

"Fine, but make it quick."

Diamanté fiddled with the camera around her neck. After what seemed like forever, she brought up the camera, smiled, and said,"Say demonic possession!"

Before he could respond, Diamanté grabbed Gideon by his shoulder and pressed the button. The camera flashed. Gideon fell backwards, barely supported by Diamanté.

Before she had gone in, Diamanté had taken a note from one of their earlier adventures. Using a tiny light with a magnet, she had latched the light onto the keychain of her camera. Said light was invented by a boy genius who had used to knock his adversaries unconscious. When Gideon suspected her, she had moved the light carefully so that when she pressed the camera's button, she flipped the switch on the light as well. Her fake glasses, which didn't function as glasses at all, had reflective glass that protected her from the light.

So, after that, Diamanté's reaction? She dropped the camera, and used her open hand to take off the glasses. Speaking directly into the microphone and camera, said,"Now get this bloody munchkin off me."

• • •

It wasn't easy to get Gideon out of his own house. But, with a little distraction by Alex and Octavia pretending to be Girl Scouts, Diamanté stuck him out by the back door.

"Good-old interrogation," Diamanté said in regards to her plan. "Seduction was a miserable failure, electrocution is immoral, and we have nothing else."

"It's good enough," Alex decided. "Hunter, we need a table, a lamp, handcuffs, two fedoras, and a black and white camera."

Hunter nodded and went off to, presumably to steal said items. "Where are we going to put this anyway?" Mabel asked.

"Mystery Shack?" suggested Myria.

"No way. Gideon wants the shack, and we can't risk it," Dipper said sternly.

Alex nodded. "There is one place, but it might be a little cramped."

• • •

Alex's idea of a little cramped was an understatement. Her glorious idea of an interrogation room? The janitor's closet at the musuem. She, Dipper, and Gideon were the only ones who could fit in the room, and Gideon even got a chair, though he was unconscious. The others were standing guard outside.

Alex had told him that she could be very convincing when it came to these things. However, Hunter had joked earlier that the last time they had done this, they had almost been killed. Hunter was going on the 'creepy child' list as soon as possible.

"He's coming to," Alex said calmly. She checked that he was handcuffed by his wrist to the doorknob and that, if she needed to, Alex could easily knock his head with the front of her book.

Gideon stirred in front of them. His eyes fluttered open, and to give the little brat credit, he took being essentially kidnapped.

He screamed like a little girl.

Alex quickly smacked him with the back of her hand. "Get a hold of yourself, Gleeful."

Gideon felt the now red mark of his face, and his eyes flickered to Dipper. "Dipper Pines, funny meeting you here."

"Can it, Gideon," Dipper told him sourly,"We want to know a few things, and you're going to tell us them."

"And why would I do that?" He replied.

"Because I say so," Alex told him, and then grabbing him by the collar, she said,"And I hope you understand the position you're in, unless you are as stupid as I think you are. Please, prove me wrong, but I have very, very high expectations."

Gideon gulped, and Alex let go of his collar. "First rule of this little interrogation; tell anyone about this, and I'll gut you like a fish."

The small boy laughed at this. "With what?"

Alex dropped the book, and then reached into the pocket of her pants, and with no warning, unsheathed a sharp, long blade and held it not two inches from Gideon's nose.

"The second rule," Alex continued,"You will answer truthfully, of I will gut you like a fish and throw your innards to the dogs. And the third and final rule, and the most important, is that I will not tell you anything and you will not ask the questions. That job belongs to Dipper and myself. Failure to abide by these rules will automatically result in the immediate loss of your internal organs, or the always-painful demonic possession."

"Now, where would you get a demon?" Gideon questioned, completely ignoring the last rule.

Alex smirked, which made her look absolutely barking sadistic. There was a pounding sound above them, like something was in the ceiling. The sounds were loud enough that it made the creature making the sounds as large a bear at the smallest.

"I have friends on the other side." Alex said darkly.

After making sure Alex's sanity was not slipping, Dipper started the interrogation. "The first question is this," Dipper began,"Are you aware of the phenomenon that is Gravity Falls?"

"Yes," Gideon replied blankly.

Outside, AJ, barefoot, knocked once on the door, the sign that it was the truth. Alex wrote his answer down, and then motioned for him to continue.

"Have you come in contact with any supernatural or extraordinary things, such as monsters, ghosts, or zombies?" Dipper asked.

"Yes," Gideon said, eyeing Alex suspiciously.

"Exactly what did you come in contact with?" Dipper questioned.

"Oh, you know, just the Undead," Gideon said nonchalantly. Alex narrowed her eyes, then wrote his answer.

"Did you have any items that contained magic or knowledge of magic?" Alex said after she was done.

Gideon hesitated for a second. "Yes."

AJ knocked once on the door. Alex then added,"What was it? Perhaps a book?"

Gideon narrowed his eyes and said,"What would you know about a book?" Alex bent down, setting her pad of paper and pen on the ground, and grabbed the book from earlier. With no further ado, she slammed the book into Gideon's face.

"Allow me to make this as clear as day," Alex said coldly,"I have forgotten more about magic than you will ever learn. I have so many books, it would take more than what little time you have left on this earth to read them. I will not let , no I forbid, that you will ever get on my better side. You are a sick little boy who hides behind the curtain of his pathetic magic show from what the rest of this god-forsaken universe calls reality. And let me tell you something, Gleeful, reality is about to give you a wake-up call."

Gideon merely gulped.

"Dipper, continue with the questions. I'm tired of speaking to a child," Alex said, picking up the pen and paper again.

Dipper didn't argue with her. "Do you have a book about magic?"

"No."

AJ knocked twice. "You're lying!" Alex shouted.

"Not really," Gideon said,"I lost it."

Alex grit her teeth and then rephrased her question. "Did you once have a book about magic?"

"Yes."

"Was it a journal?"

"Yes."

"Did you use the book for personal gain?"

"Yes."

"Where did you find this book?"

Gideon didn't speak for a moment. "Gleeful, where did you find this book?" Alex shouted.

"Why should I tell you?" Gideon challenged.

Alex's eyes began to glow again, and this time, Dipper knew he wasn't imagining it. AJ opened the door (pulling Gideon whose wrist was still handcuffed to the door along with it), grabbed Dipper, and pulled him out of the room. Hunter entered the room in his place.

AJ slammed the door. "What just happened?" Dipper exclaimed.

"Plan A just failed miserably," AJ said, glancing over her shoulder. "So, we're on Plan B."

"Plan B?" Mabel asked, appearing at Dipper's side.

There was a flash of grey light from the closet. A girl's scream could be heard, though it was hard to tell whether it was Gideon's or one of the actual girls.

There was a flash of red, and then the door opened. Gideon, without handcuffs, was thrown on the ground. He had a tiny bit of blood on his nose.

Hunter walked out first with wide eyes and heavy breathing. She had blood on her fist.

Alex walked out with a look that could turn fire into ice. Her pad of paper, now full of notes, was thrown at Dipper. He caught it, just barely.

Alex then turned to her friends. "Grab your things. We're leaving this town as soon as possible." Archer opened his mouth to protest by Alex's eyes glowed fiercely and he shut his mouth without a word.

"Thank you for your help, Dipper, Mabel," Alex played with her knife, like she was about to strike. "We appreciate your help, but now, you must never speak of us ever again. And since we can't take the chance of you admitting we existed, I will now erase your memories."

"Alex!" Hunter barked. "Get a freaking hold of yourself! You're not helping anyone!" Alex clenched her fists and her eyes lit up like flashlights.

Then, she calmed down. Her eyes went back to her normal, but still really weird, grey eyes, but she began to cry.

Hunter went over to Alex, and wrapped her arm around her. "You guys don't mind if we take things from here?" She said gently, nodding her head to Alex.

Dipper nodded, grabbed Mabel by the wrist, and ran out of the museum. "That was...dark," Mabel said after they were out.

"I know," Her twin replied. It was night now, so they made their way back to the Mystery Shack. Stan was asleep, so they crept upstairs silently. They didn't speak even afterwards, and fell asleep in an awkward silence.

It was twelve twenty-eight when they heard the first tap.

It was actually horrifying. Mabel got up and look to the window, to find, guess who, Octavia upside-down on the other side. She breathed on the glass and wrote "come to the roof" in perfect cursive, despite being outside and upside-down.

So, in pajamas, the twins quietly made their way upstairs and then onto the roof. Hunter, Octavia, and AJ were on the roof, waiting for them. Hunter's odd gold eyes shined like a cat's.

"Sup, Dipstick?" Hunter said, smirking. With the smirk, she looked even more like a cat.

"Don't call me that," Dipper responded sourly.

"Anyways," AJ said, cutting Hunter off before she could say something idiotic, "We convinced Alex to let us stay until tomorrow morning, if you agree with our terms."

"Our terms meaning what Alex told us to do," Hunter pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Mabel asked.

"Oh, it's not much," Octavia said shyly. "All you would need to do is make a promise."

"I guess we can do that," Mabel agreed reluctantly.

"Sweet," Hunter said nonchalantly. She reached into her backpack (which Dipper was ninety percent wasn't there before this paragraph) and pulled out a large book.

"This is the Book of Heroes," Hunter explained. "By the way, that's just a fancy name we use for the book that records our adventures and, by extension, the people we met. A promise made on this puppy is bound by honor, and a little black magic."

"What?" Dipper exclaimed.

Hunter laughed. "Just kidding, Dipstick." Then she added, "We're not allowed to use black magic."

"What Hunter means," AJ scowled at her friend,"is that this book is serious business. Ya can't break a promise on this book."

"What if you did?" asked Mabel, curious.

"Can't." She replied sternly.

"So it's actually impossible?" Dipper questioned.

"Yes," Hunter answered. "It bends reality so that promises cannot be broken, at least if they are made on this book." She paused, smirked, then said, "Kind of like fanfiction."

AJ looked like she wanted to snap Hunter's neck for yet another pop-culture reference, but she withheld the urge.

"So, you in?" Hunter asked, still smirking.

Dipper and Mabel looked at each other. They had that kind of relationship where they could simply look at each other and know what the other was thinking. Mabel's eyes told him that she was reluctant, but willing. Dipper's eyes were suspicious, but also willing.

"We'll do it," they responded in unison.

"Do you guys do that often? Cause twins talking in unison are kind of symbols of creepiness," Hunter said.

"Ignoring!" AJ said, and then placed the book in between the three of them and the twins. She also told them to put their hands on the book.

Dipper noticed the bottom corner of the book was inscribed. It read; "To my friends, Courtney, Julia, Anika, Abby, and Michaela who have inspired me. Also, I dedicate this book to myself, but I wrote it, so it's kind of redundant, and I should stop writing, but it's kind of fun." The message was signed with the initials G.A.

"Who's G.A.?" Dipper asked.

Hunter smiled, an honest smile, not her usual smirk, and said,"A friend." She left it at that.

AJ started to speak. "Dipper and Mabel Pines," She said, "Do you promise on the Book of Heroes, and therefore the six original heroes, that you shall protect the secrecy of the six heroines known as Hunter, Octavia, Alexandria, Diamanté, Myria, and Anna-" AJ almost said her full name in front of Hunter, but then quickly corrected herself.

"-Myria and AJ," She continued, "by agreeing that you will only speak of aforementioned heroes when said heroes speak to you?"

The twins nodded.

"Do you also agree that we must keep your secrets in return?" Hunter asked.

The twins nodded.

"And so, by the power invested in me by Princess Caelum, Princess Serena, and the Council of Angels, I hereby decree this promise is enforced." Octavia ended.

The book glowed in an explosion of color, ranging from electric blue to fiery red to gentle greens. The light died down and the book returned to being just a book.

"It's done," Octavia said sadly.

"I guess it is," Hunter said, sounded just as melancholy. Melancholy. Why does a word meaning sadness sound like melon-collie? It sounded more like a bad pun than a word, but I'm getting off-topic.

"If we don't see ya in the morning," AJ explained,"this is goodbye."

It was hard to say goodbye. I mean, how do you say goodbye to people that consider you a friend, when you just met them less than a week ago?"

AJ did this awkward hug thing, which was only awkward because AJ was so tall compared to them, she had to bend her knees to get to their level. Hunter gave them peace signs with her fingers, but thinking about it, she could have been giving them the sign for scissors. Hunter might have been the most ambiguous creepy child ever. Octavia hugged them like AJ, but she was smaller than them, so the twins had to bend a little bit.

"We'll tell the others you said goodbye," Hunter said,"and the promise thing."

"Thanks," Dipper said.

With that, Hunter jumped off the roof.

Author's Note: It's not over. This story's still has a few more chapters, so I apologize how this sounded more like an ending than what it's going to turn out to be. So, thanks for reading, but still keep doing it. Or not. I'm a fanfiction writer, not a cop.


	7. Your Own Nightmare

Author's Note;  
Yeah, the story's not over.  
Deal with it.

Back to the story...

In actuality, Hunter simply slid down the roof like a skier on a mountain, and jumped off when she hit the edge. Somehow, she remained unharmed.  
AJ shook her head, and simply starting to leave the house via rope. Octavia followed her, until all three of the girls were down below.  
"Took you long enough," Hunter said, smirking.  
"Oh, shut it," AJ said, and they walked back into the forest.  
Morning came, and Dipper watched as the seven of them walked by the Mystery Shack, until they were out of sight.  
And Alex simply appeared next to him. "Come with me." She said. Forget Hunter, Alex was going on the Creepy Child List.  
"How the heck did you get in here?" He exclaimed.  
"No time," She said. Then she grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him outside.  
"Follow me," Alex said, and then without waiting for an answer, she tugged him into the forest.  
"Hey, listen!" Dipper said. Alex turned, and let go of his wrist.  
"I'm tired of you telling me what to do!" Dipper shouted. "You're going to explain everything if it freaking kills you!"  
Alex's expression softened. "You're a smart kid, Dipper. I somehow respect and hate that about you."  
"So?"  
"You've been listening all this time, and that's not right. But you have to understand that this helps you," Alex said. Dipper raised an eyebrow, but grimaced.  
"Just trust me, okay?" Alex said, smiling. For a second, he wanted to. Alex was a complicated girl, but she was showing him kindness.  
"Fine," He responded begrudgingly.  
Alex smiled, and opened a map in front of him. He recognized it as Gravity Falls.  
"Okay, you still have my notes, right?" Alex said.  
"Yeah," Dipper said, pulling it out of his coat. "I don't see what it means though."  
"Here," Alex said, opening it to a single page. "Gideon told me where he found the book, and I pinpointed on this map." She indicated a blue dot on the map.  
"Now, I also marked where you found your book," Alex said, pointing towards a red dot in the forest. "See ?"  
Dipper nodded. "But why are you telling me this?"  
"You took an oath. I can trust you, and you can trust me," Alex said honestly. Dipper blushed and Alex smiled shyly.  
"Anyways," She said, getting back to her explanation,"The girls and I searched all last night for the last book."  
At first. Dipper was shocked. Yes, after seeing Gideon's second book, he figured there was a first book, but Alex was bat-guano crazy if she thought she could find it. "Wouldn't that take forever?" He responded.  
"Not when you have magic," Alex said, still smiling.  
"Magic?" Dipper raised an eyebrow, but allowed her continue.  
"Close your eyes for a second," Alex said. Dipper guessed the next step would be either tapping his heels three times or clapping his hands and believing, but he remained silent.  
"Open them," Alex said.  
He did, and felt utterly lost. They were at the top of a mountain, not far from the Multi-Bear.  
"Isn't it obvious?" Alex said, sitting on the ledge. Dipper joined her and said,"What?"  
"The author of those books - whoever it was - understood magic. They may not have been magical themselves, but they understood the forces at work in their lives," Alex said, staring down at the forest. "They wrote the books so those who read them would understand too."  
Alex stared up at Dipper. "But absolute power corrupts absolutely. For example, Gideon. He had that book. His mind was so far gone, even magic could not repair it. I tried, Dipper, and failed."  
"But, I have the next book," Dipper said,"what does that mean for me?"  
Alex smiled sadly. "Dipper, there are several types of people, but they boil down to these two things; good and bad. Some are good, but seem bad. Some are bad, but appear good.  
"Dipper, I have traveled far and wide, and I have seen all types of people, but I can say with complete honesty, you are good. Yes, you have temptation, but so do the greatest of heroes. You have power, and you use it right. That author should be proud."  
Dipper blushed and said,"What are trying to say?"  
"You deserve these books. And this book, belongs to you," Alex pulled out a maroon book with gold binding.  
Number One.  
The complete set was connected. "I'm afraid this means you have all the books now," Alex said, sadly,"And that your temptation will only grow."  
"I can handle it."  
"That's what I'm worried about."  
There was a snap of a twig and Alex turned. Her eyes and fists flickered with a purple-grey light.  
"Oh, sorry," Octavia said, hiding partially behind her hair. "Are we interrupting? We should go, let's go."  
"Tavi, hun, the point of sneaking up on someone is kind of to interrupt them," AJ pointed out, facepalming.  
"Girls!" Alex said. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be on a bus!"  
"Alex, you might be the token nerd of this little team," Diamanté said, smirking,"but that doesn't make the only smart one."  
"Okay, but how did you find us?" Dipper said.  
"Oh, we placed a tracking device on Alex's head," Myria said.  
"What? Where?" Alex said, patting her neck and back. There was the sound of flapping wings, and AJ caught something in her hands, then placed it on the ground. Diamanté pulled out a familiar looking gem from her skirt pocket, grabbed Alex's glowing hands, and shined the reflection on the ground.  
From the ground, Hunter rose up in size, and promptly stuck her tongue out Alex. "By the way, Alex, your head smells like a puppy." She remarked.  
"Hunter! That was an invasion of privacy!" Alex exclaimed.  
"Oh come on, Alex. I only tagged along after you ditched us at the bus. But your little 'you're a hero, Dipper' speech was pretty cute," The blonde girl added.  
"I hate you so much," Alex remarked sourly. In response, Hunter smirked, and said, "Feeling's mutual, Lex."  
"Hey, Hunter, Alex," Archer said, "This little show of mutual friendship is entertaining, believe me, but we have some business to cover. Namely one who's basically Napoleon with an Elvis hairdo."  
"Gideon?" Dipper asked.  
"No, the other one we know!" AJ said. "Alex couldn't go through the memory spell earlier, and we can't let him know about us."  
"So, what are you going to do?" Dipper asked, putting emphasis on 'you.' Alex gulped, and stared at Hunter and Archer.  
"Full on demonic possession. Take his memories," Alex told her friends. "But, Alex," Archer said,"We can't do that."  
"Why?" She asked impatiently.  
"Listen, that little trick back last night with Gideon?" Hunter said, defensively. "I can't do that again; that kid is completely crazy. Like, mundo-mumma brains. I will not let my little bro go through that."  
"So what else do we have?" Alex asked.  
"I could possess him," Octavia said quietly.  
"No, Tavi," Alex said. "It's a sweet gesture, but you can't pull memories. AJ, Dia?"  
"I could punch him really hard," AJ suggested. Diamanté hit her in the stomach for that.  
"I could do a Mental Charm. But, I'm bit wary of that one; they do call it the Mental Charm for a reason," She explained.  
Alex sighed. "I guess I'll have to do the Memory Spell."  
Diamanté frowned, looking sympathetic. "Or we could do the Ma'at Spell. That could work, right?"  
"Dia, I appreciate it, but that spell requires so much magic, it's just not sensible to use it." Alex said. "But I'll need all our help. That includes you, Dipper." She said the last bit shyly, and then added, blushing,"And Mabel, too, of course."  
Dipper cleared his throat, blushing slightly. "Okay, but you six -"  
"Seven!" Archer exclaimed. "I am part of this team too!"  
"Okay, you seven have a lot to explain before that," Dipper said,"To Mabel and I."  
Alex bit her lip, but AJ caught her eye and said,"We made a deal to be honest, Alex. And there's also that whole the promise that can literally not be broken, so we can trust 'em." Alex gave her a gracious smile.  
"We agree, but be prepared, because, frankly, we're pretty weird," Alex said.

AJ had agreed to go get Mabel, so within a few minutes, Dipper's sister joined him, looking very confused.  
"Weren't they on a bus?" She asked.  
"I thought so too," Dipper responded.  
"Okay," Alex said, messing with the ends of her hair. "Well, let's go around the group, and we can start there. Hunter, why don't you go first?"  
"Sweet," Hunter said, smirking. Dipper noticed one of her teeth stuck out when she smirked. "So, what with my pale skin, fangs, and bloodlust, I'm guessing you think I'm a vampire?" Dipper shrugged.  
"Well I'm not! That is a rude and hurtful stereotype!" Hunter barked. Then, she added more calmly,"As a matter of fact, I am a demon."  
"What?" Mabel exclaimed, taking the word out of Dipper's mouth. "But you're-"  
"Beautiful? Gorgeous? Beautifully gorgeous?" Hunter scoffed at their reactions. "I get those reactions a lot. You wanna see a demon's true form in action?"  
"Hunter!" Archer said. "Let me handle this. Since we're related, I'm a demon too. Hunter's just a little more prideful than I am." Somehow, Dipper got the feeling that wasn't their only difference.  
To explain, Archer looked nothing like his older sister. Hunter was a pale blonde stretched out like a rubber band. Archer was tall, yes, and he had Hunter's eye color, though his were more amber than gold. He had dark skin like Alex's and black curly hair. He wore a red jacket with orange stripes and a white shirt underneath, and dark jeans. If anything, he looked more like Alex's brother than Hunter's.  
Archer caught Dipper's look and said,"We're from a mixed family." "I got most of the awesomeness, but Archer's still got some," Hunter said, promptly giving her little brother a noogie.  
"Anyways," Alex said, rolling her eyes,"Myria?"  
"I'm a demi-god!" She said, smiling wide. "My mom's Athena."  
"Wait - Athena?" Dipper asked. "Greek goddess of wisdom?"  
"No; I mean Athena, the goddess of macaroni art!" Myria said sarcastically, then giggled.  
"She's your mom?" He said, scratching his head.  
"Yeah," Myria said,"But it's great since I've got so many half brothers and sisters, and I get to this camp during the summer with them, and I get to hang out with them. Like Annabeth! It's like big family!" She talked with much enthusiasm.  
AJ stepped up next. "Elf. Yes, Ah'm an elf. Now, leave all Christmas jokes in ya mouths unless you want me to do something that will put me on the Naughty List. Permanently."  
"If you're an elf, why are you so...?" Mabel asked.  
"Rowdy? Tomboyish? Tough?" AJ asked. Mabel nodded. "Well, like Hunta said, an elf bein' peaceful and a good shot are stereotypes. Besides, if anyone's a good shot, it's Archer. Aptly named, by the way."  
"Thank you," Archer said politely.  
"And I'm an Earth Elf. We work with nature, the ground, and plants especially," AJ concluded.  
Diamanté cleared her throat. "Also, I'm a wizard." Before she could continue, Hunter asked,"I'm sorry, did anyone else just realize we have a wizard and a demi-god? Harry Potter and Percy Jackson anyone?"  
"Ah'm sorry, well, for Hunter," AJ said, through clenched teeth. "Continue, Dia."  
"Well, yes, I am a wizard, and Myria is a demi-god, but so is Anika, and she's closer to Percy than Myria," Diamantè pointed out.  
"Well I just said Myria because she's right here, but she is closer to Annabeth, I guess," Hunter said, scratching her head.  
"Girls!" Alex intervened. "We do not want a repeat of the dreaded chapter five! Get back to the story!"  
"Right. Anyways, I have a wand, but I don't have a cat, or a broom, I would kill myself if I had even a pimple, never mind a wart, and I do not know Harry Potter," Diamanté concluded.  
"Octavia, do you want to go next?" Alex asked. Octavia paled to Hunter's skin tone, and shook her head. "Tavi, you act like you're going to explode if you talk." Alex remarked.  
"Oh fine," Octavia said quietly. "Well, remember that comment about being able to see dead people?"  
"Yeah. What did you mean by that?" Dipper asked.  
Octavia gulped, looked at Alex, who nodded encouragingly. "I'm a ghost."  
If he had been drinking, Dipper would have spit it out. "You're dead?"  
"Yes," Octavia said shyly.  
"But you're twelve? How did you die?" He continued. Octavia's eyes became large and she turned away.  
"We don't talk about that much," Diamanté said gently. Octavia took a deep breath and then continued.  
"Being a ghost, I can do all types of things. Like walk through walls, disappear, and fly," She continued,"Oh, and my singing can break windows, destroy robotics, heal, and all types of things."  
Allow me to say this, but Octavia was the last person you'd suspect to be a ghost. She was the smallest member of the team, being shorter than Diamanté, and acted more like a kindergartner on their first day of school than an undead spirit bent on revenge. Her waves of light and bleach blonde was shoulder-length, and despite not having bangs, covered her eyes  
"Wait - if you're a ghost, can you possess people?" Mabel asked. It was clear she was remembering her previous encounter with ghosts. Octavia flinched like a rock had been thrown at her.  
"Well, yes, but I'd never do it on a friend." Hunter shot her a dark glare and Octavia added,"Unless I had to."  
Dipper looked across the group and found out there was one person left: Alex. "Then what does that make you?" He said, sounded more cruel than he thought it would.  
Alex looked sad for a moment. Her gaze reached her friends', who seemed anxious. "Okay, don't be weirded out, but I'm a-" Her voice broke and then she shouted out, "magician!" Her friends looked at her in disbelief.  
"Magician?" Mabel and Dipper said in near unison. Hunter shot them odd looks, but Alex continued.  
"Yes, a magician!" She said. "An Egyptian magician. It means I'm a descendant of the gods and I follow the path of them. I'm a follower of Isis, goddess of magic, so that's how I know this much about magic."  
"Alex!" AJ said, but Alex cut her off with an exasperated look.  
"What's wrong?" Mabel asked.  
"Nothing!" Alex said. "AJ was just going to remind me that I'm not allowed to share the secret of the gods, but we made a promise of the Book of Heroes, so we're good!"  
Alex smiled, but it faltered at the look on her friends faces. "What?" She asked, but she already knew the answer.  
"You know what we mean," Hunter said, grimacing. "The Princesses would not be happy if they saw this."  
"What?" Dipper asked. "This is your explanation time, and you're lying? Who does that? Please give me one good reason why you would lie to us like that?"  
Alex turned from her friends and stared directly at Dipper. Alex's eyes were staring right at him, and yet he could feel her staring at his soul.  
"You're right; you two deserve the truth. But we have bigger problems. It can wait." Alex said firmly.  
"So, when are we going to learn this little secret?" Dipper challenged. Alex almost smiled.  
"In time," she answered.

Alex had agreed to make the plan around the Mystery Shack, so the nine stood out the porch of the shack, discussing the most intricate and utterly awesome plan ever conceived in the human mind.  
"What plan?" Mabel asked.  
"Easy. Ambush. Mabel, all you have to do is lure him into the Mystery Shack. Take Gideon to your room, but don't come in. I'll fill everyone in on their parts," Alex said, smiling.  
"Fine. But if this plans fails as much as the others did-" Dipper said flatly.  
"It won't," Alex replied. "With all of us, there's no way this could fail."  
"You know, that's the universe's queue to mess us up right?" Hunter said. "It's tempting fate."  
"Fate and I are on good terms, remember?" Alex said. Hunter glared and sat down next to AJ.  
"You're putting a lot of this plan depending on Gideon wanting Mabel," Dipper asked, "you think that's a good thing?"  
Alex sighed. "I went into the kid's mind. I think I know what he likes. And he's got his eye on Mabel. It's pretty creepy."  
"And everyone will know the plan?" He asked.  
"These are not seven kids pretending to be superheroes, Dipper. We are an elite group of heroes who work together like a family. And family means no one gets left behind. Or forgotten." She said. Alex made it clear she would not fail.  
She went to tell Mabel to use the golf cart to get to Gideon's house. From there, it'd be up to her to get Gideon back to the shack. Reluctantly, Mabel agreed. Dipper watched nervously as Mabel drove off. Afterwards, she went to her friends and filled them in.  
Several minutes passed and Mabel had not come back yet. Still, Alex was not worried. "She's a smart girl. If she's anything like us, she'll know what to do." Somehow, the thought of Mabel being like Alex had him concerned.  
"Hunter?" Alex called. Hunter looked up from what must have been an intense duel of rock-paper-scissors with AJ. "Why don't you go the roof and be look-out?" Hunter groaned at the thought of working, but grabbed the binoculars from Myria and headed inside to find Wendy's ladder to the roof.  
"I see him!" Hunter called from the top. Alex bit her lip, and said, "Everyone, get to your places! When Mabel comes, we'll have to be ready!" The six others scrambled in the house.  
"Wait, what I am supposed to do?" Dipper asked. "You're with me," Alex said. "And don't be freaked out. You'll know what to do, when the time comes."  
"Why are you that vague?" He asked, irritated. Alex smiled, a spark in her eyes. "Hey, I don't have all the answers. And I do trust you. Now, we need to go your room."  
Dipper let her in and they ran up to his room. "AJ, Tavi, are you in?" Alex said. "I'm coming, I'm coming," AJ said, dragging Tavi by the back of her shirt. "Tavi got scared and I had to drag her up the stairs." Octavia stood, teeth chattering, which was odd for a ghost.  
There was the sound of the door opening, and Mabel could be heard talking. "Grunkle Stan's out stealing some paintings, so he won't be back for a while, " Mabel said. "So why don't we go up to my room?"  
Octavia nearly disappeared on the spot. AJ grabbed Alex with her free hand by the back of her shirt. Octavia went entirely invisible, and so did AJ and Alex. Still, one of them (mind you, they were invisible) grabbed the door so that it was covering them.  
One of them, presumably AJ by the accent, whispered, "Dipper, hide!" Without questioning, Dipper rushed into the closet.  
Gideon walked in, and Mabel, remembering her instructions, pretended she dropped a hairpin outside the door. As soon as Gideon was completely in the room, the door hit the frame with a tremendous slam.  
Gideon turned, but saw no one. Still, with a voice that showed no mercy, no humanity, Alex began.  
"Hello, Gideon. Welcome to your own personal Hell."


End file.
